In August last year, I wrote about what I might do “when family logistics settle down.” I called it “later” thinking. I wanted to be available to my kids if they needed help. I believed that a more spacious time was coming, but looking back I’m not sure anything ever settled down. Between two 15-day trips to assist the yoga teacher training at Kripalu, extended health scares with my mom, the federal immigration siege in Minnesota over the winter, and regular visits from my kids, life often felt more complicated, not less.
So here we are a year later, and both of my kids head back to college this week. After a summer of dinners out, time at the cabin, teaching another kid to parallel park, and hours in our favorite used bookstores, our nest empties again.
Surprisingly, this summer has felt more spacious than others in recent memory, and I’ve had room to think about how I want to spend my time when the kids head out again. One option would be to spend more time at Kripalu and assist with more teacher training programs. It’s nice when someone else cooks the food and cleans the dishes, I get to practice all the limbs of yoga, connect with other people, spend time outdoors, and leave feeling more relaxed than when I arrived.
As much as I feel drawn to Kripalu, Minnesota is my home and my people. Here in Minnesota is where I teach yoga, where I practice yoga and meditation with other living beings, and where people tell me about their bum knees and mystical experiences during savasana while I play harmonium. I was born at the University of Minnesota hospital, attended Minneapolis public schools, graduated from Minnetonka High School and Bemidji State University, and got my first internship at the Minnesota Orchestra. So I think of myself as a “Minnesota guy,” although not your typical Minnesota guy since I don’t hunt, fish, or ride snowmobiles.
But when I went looking for one of my favorite things to do — a day-long yoga retreat in Minnesota — I came up empty. The Minnesota Yoga Conference was last held in 2024. The day-long retreats at the Arboretum ended along with Yoga in the Gardens in 2025. I applied to teach at a Minnesota yoga retreat, but that was delayed until next year. All delightful yoga experiences that were no longer available.
So what’s a yoga-loving Minnesota guy to do?
Instead of going to another state to practice, I’ve decided to try offering a new place for us to roll out our yoga mats together, closer to home.
A Free Saturday Morning Class
THIS Saturday, August 22, 10-11am, at Lake Fellowship in Excelsior, I’ll be offering Kripalu Gentle Yoga. The same basic class I teach at The Marsh on Wednesdays. Kripalu is a slow style. We start seated, warm up, move through standing poses, spend time on the floor, and finish with rest. Slow doesn’t mean easy. When less is going on, staying with it takes more effort. Either way, you get an hour to practice living at ease, and I’ll bring the harmonium. The room has a fantastic view of the woods, but it’s small, so registration is required. The class is free, and I’ll make coffee.
A Day-Long Retreat
Next month will be a day-long retreat, Take a Load Off, on Saturday, September 12, 9am-3pm, same building. Gentle yoga and a workshop in the morning, a potluck at noon, then conversation, practice, and a closing circle. There’s a wood chip path through the woods behind the building, and if the weather cooperates we’ll use it. Twelve people max. The retreat is free, donations accepted, and bring something for lunch. Likewise, registration is required.
Why Twelve?
At The Marsh I teach thirty to forty people at a time, and I love those classes. But the A-frame is a more intimate space, and if there are more than twelve people, we’ll start knocking our hands on the walls. Both have their place, and to be clear, my classes at The Marsh are continuing just as they have been since the building reopened in 2023.
Three Supports
The practice of Kripalu yoga is built around three supports: sadhana, which is steady practice; seva, which is service offered without expecting anything back; and sangha, community. Take away any one and the other two start to wobble. The community piece feels important to me, especially after this winter. I like having coffee after yoga, name tags, and a potluck instead of a catered lunch.
Much like when I assist with teacher trainings at Kripalu, these events at Lake Fellowship feel like they cover all three supports for me. Sadhana is the yoga, the sitting, and quiet reflection. Sangha is the potluck and connection with other yoga people. Seva is an option on the registration form, where you can sign up to come early and help set up, help in the kitchen at lunch, or stay late to help me put the room back. That part of the form is not just filler, because setting out the room and washing the dishes is the practice, too.
Steady and at Ease
Patanjali defines posture in three words: sthira-sukham asanam, meaning “the posture should be steady and comfortable.” Sthira and sukha at the same time, which is harder than it sounds. Most of us are better at one than the other, on the mat and off it, gripping through a hard stretch of months or checking out until it passes. The September retreat will look at what we pile on top of the difficulties we already have.
Two Experiments
Last August the practice fit around the kids, and this month there’s room for it to take up a couple of Saturdays. If these offerings turn out useful, I’ll do them again. If not, I’ll have learned something. I’m not scheduling them on weekends when my kids are home, either. Family comes first, and that’s what makes this sustainable.
If you’ve been telling yourself you’ll practice more once life settles down, you already know how that sentence ends. Notice the condition you attached, then look at the next month and ask whether one Saturday morning would break anything. If the answer is no, come to the class or come to the retreat. There’s room for twelve, and I’d like one of them to be you.
Comments